Kale and Radicchio Salad with Pomegranates

Start your new year with this kale and radicchio salad with pomegranates. I made this hearty winter salad with beautiful colors all through the holiday season, taking it to others and serving it at home. While the majority of what went on my holiday table doesn’t qualify as a healthy option for 2018, this antioxidant packed salad absolutely satisfies the healthy quotient needed for your January resolutions.

Let us dissect this salad from a health perspective. Baby kale packs a punch of vitamin A, C and K, while the radicchio gives you some B1, B6 and even more vitamin C. Pomegranates are one of my favorite fruits popping with flavor and vitamins A, C and E. The clementines give you Vitamin C and potassium. Almonds provide copper, iron, magnesium, calcium, protein, fiber, manganese, riboflavin, phosphorous and healthy fat, whereas the goat cheese is an easier to digest and lower calorie cheese with vitamins D, K, thiamine and niacin. There is even some health benefit to the shallots in the dressing, including vitamin C, potassium, folate, vitamin A, vitamin B6, and manganese. In short, you should feel good about yourself eating this salad. And it tastes good too!

After a whirlwind of a holiday season, we are trapped inside with single digit temperatures outside, but still focusing on new years goals. I’ll dissect mine like I did the salad. First, motivated by my sister in law Alexa who got me a new mini cuisinart and 3 cookbooks (!!!) from Christmas, I am hoping to cook more — and cook healthier — in the new year. I highly recommend the zucchini stuffed zucchini with sorta salsa verde and flipped crispy egg taco with singed greens from Deb Perelman’s Smitten Kitchen Every Day. Both were incredibly delicious. Second, when you work more than full time like me, keeping things organized is a challenge, but I’m aiming to tackle it in pieces, particularly at home. Helped by a fabulous new au pair and the kids, we’ve already cleaned out some closets. Third, stay positive. Particularly in the winter months, I have a tendency to be a negative nelly and a debby downer. Already I’ve had some down days to be honest. Work stress and another birthday on the horizon in two weeks doesn’t help. I’m hoping some ski weekends and a Florida vacation next month will keep my spirits up through the winter months, along with some motivating spin and yoga classes. And some deep breaths. Fourth, every January I vow to lose weight and usually at some point I do, but the problem is gaining it back! But the older I get, the more I realize that I need to treat this body better. So my goal for this year is not just to lose weight, but improve my overall health to increase my longevity by finding healthier ways to reduce stress, staying active and sleeping well. I’ve cut bad carbs and dairy largely from my diet since January 1 (had a bit of a deviation last night). Exercise was difficult last week because of the snowstorm, but I’m trying! I think this may be the year I try acupuncture and laser treatment. And I’m buying a new mattress!